Moonlit Blossom
by xxiiixo
Summary: The relationship formed from a final promise begins to form into something unprecedented with the falling of each, new cherry blossom. ByakuyaxRukia
1. Prologue

_Moonlit Blossom_

**_Prologue_**

_* And thus the blossom was forgotten, laying silently in the tresses of daylight, only to be revealed at the first breath of the moon upon the world._

* * *

He often wondered just where his path of certainty had begun to falter. The cherry blossoms fell in a harmoniously fashion, as if, his unprecedented thoughts has dictated each and every airy movement of the pink petals.

It had been mere days since the departure of Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Soul Reaper. With the destiny of many lives reconnecting once more, the piercing of a sword into the young man's body had opened the way for new adventures for the Gotei 13 once again. And now, he was left here to ponder on new thoughts that had intruded into his thought process.

What was probably mere innocence had begun to form like a cancer. The final exchange between his sister and that of the substitute soul reaper had shown nothing more but cold indifference from the ever-showing Kuchiki mask. However, inwardly, he had been plagued with a flame of curiosity. What was it about this young man that had always made his sister-in-law so saddened to see him depart?

The thought had prickled in his subconscious just barely, but he never allowed himself to let the thought surface entirely. It was such an absurd idea. The notion was something he had felt years ago, but that time was cut short and he had to bury those feelings and desires away. He had nothing left, nothing but a promise that had passed from soft lips before a last breath was taken.

As the young man faded and the portal closed, he could see the image of the raven-haired woman below. No tears or apparent sadness were showing physically, but that was not needed here. The two might not have spoken much, but then again, there was always a silent understanding there. It had been sharpened in the times that he had come to assist her in battle. The first appearance of this being the day he had to proclaim the words _'I'm sorry'_ for not having acted on his inward desires sooner.

He only saw her back still turned as she stared at the portal. It was a mere second or so later that she had turned around, a smile on her lips as she seemed content all of the sudden. Perhaps he had mentioned something to her before he had left? He imagined it to be nothing more than a usual parting phrase as _'we'll see each other soon'_. It always seemed like the smallest of things could keep Rukia content and help her continue forward in her life.

Turning slowly, he decided to return to the recesses of his manor. With the day coming to an end soon, he knew the woman in his thoughts would be returning to the property soon. The manor appeared much too quickly, he must not have realized how fast he had been walking-his thoughts must have really been running far too much today.

It was almost nonsensical, how as of lately, his sister-in-law seemed to have dominated over the entirety of his day. If it wasn't in his thoughts, she had somehow managed to end up passing him far too often in the offices. He imagined to be mere coincidence, and something as simple as seeing a sibling so often should have been expected since they lived and worked together.

But then why could he not shake this feeling as if something was happening in the red string that seemed to have been dangling solely from his finger. The string that had been cut years beforehand, but as of late, seemed to have started to re-attach elsewhere.

Sliding open numerous doors, he managed to finally reach the room in which he would proclaim to be his study. Some paper work still remained on his desk, which he was quite thankful for because now more than ever he needed to have a thorough distraction.

* * *

It had been so long since she had seen her comrade. That was truly the only reason why it was so difficult to even think of a goodbye again so soon. But it was necessary, and the comforting words of them seeing one another again soon always was enough to keep a smile on her face. She turned back to the life that was waiting for her until that time came.

The sky had a splendor of blue, but now, it was starting to shift to that of orange. The sun seemed to be beginning its descent on the horizon, signaling the end of yet another day. Feeling it was probably best to return home before dark, her feet easily led her on the familiar path back to the Kuchiki manor.

Every time she had started on this path back home, her thoughts would instantly resonate around her Nii-sama. It was just a habit of hers. She would wonder how his day went, what he might possible be doing now, what his mood might be (that was always one of the more important ones). It made her wonder just how she would have to act whenever she saw him at dinner.

The vast landscape appeared before her and as she approached the manor, her shoes were easily slipped off at the entrance. A few of the housekeepers bowed to her as she entered the house just as stars began appearing in the fading daylight.

An aroma was already filling the room, signaling that dinner was almost ready. She imagined she had near enough time to go to her room and fresh up a little before dinner. Moving through the corridor, her body turned around a corner to the hallway that led to her room. It was in this brief moment that the other resident of the household appeared and without time to react properly, the two had bumped into one another.

Completely accidental, but Rukia still got flustered nonetheless. She was still unsure of his attitude and as she looked up she could see him staring down at her with his usual blank stare.

"Forgive me Nii-sama, I did not know you were wondering around here."

He simply brushed it off. It was one of his usual mannerisms.

"Dinner is in five minutes. Be ready then Rukia."

"Hai Nii-sama." She bowed before quickly walking down the hallway to her room. She hardly had any time to freshen up now since her encounter with her brother had cut her time in half.

Although the encounter seemed short, she had actually stood there for nearly five minutes. Her voice wasn't even heard for a few minutes after she had bumped into him. All she did was stare up at him and him at her. It was very unlike him to waste time so idly like that.

_Maybe he's just tired or something. _It was always hard to tell with her Nii-sama what he was truly feeling. He rarely lowered the façade he upheld on a daily basis. The bathroom light had flickered on slowly as she brushed her hair and then sprayed a bit of some perfume on that she had gotten from Karakura Town during her last visit.

The fragrance made her smile as the smell caused a moment or two of reminiscence, and then the remembrance of dinner caused her to scurry out of her room and back down the hallway.

The one thing she knew her Nii-sama hated was when she wasn't prompt in her arrivals. It could be something as simple as dinner in their home and it would be as if she had lost a point of respect in his books. Biting her lower lip, she managed to reach the dining area just as the cooks finished laying out the food on the table.

The man who had just been on her last, trailing thought was already sitting across the table in his usual position. She easily slid into her sitting position before bowing to him the same way she had done just mere minutes before.

Not a word was spoken between them for the first few minutes of their meal. It was almost as if both were pondering on what to say, well more like _she_ was. To her, he always seemed to prefer eating silently. She scooped a bit of rice up and brought it to her mouth just as she dared a glance across the table at him. Her fingers faltered and she almost dropped the rice upon seeing his grey eyes looking over at her in an almost casual manner.

The odd occurrence made her heart skip a beat.

_This was certainly unusual._


	2. Chapter 1

**_Moonlit Blossom_**

_-Chapter 1-_

_* The blossom greeted the sunlight, shadowed in uncertainty and curiosity._

* * *

Dinner had ended almost completely normal aside from the one dared glance at her Nii-sama. It was unusual for him to even partake in something of the sort, not to mention that he seemed to be focusing on her a lot more that evening. Maybe he was just _really_ out of it somehow.

_It's not as if I was getting his attention._

As she tried to reason with herself on the many possible excuses or reasons for that one moment of odd behavior, her eyes caught sight of her room once again and she shut her door for the full privacy of her thoughts. Her hands moved to begin undoing her shinigami robes just as she wandered back into the bathroom. The smallest hint of an after-scent from her perfume that she had sprayed caught her senses and she had a small realization.

_Did I actually put perfume on just to go to dinner..?_

She hadn't really thought about it beforehand since she had been in such a rush to get to the dining room, but that was not a normal occurrence for her. Brushing her hair was once thing, but putting on perfume was entirely another seeing as Rukia had always been a bit of a tomboy since she was younger. She usually only reserved the perfume wearing for when she was in Karakura Town and that was seen as normalcy or was almost expected for a young woman.

Her lithe body shrugged off her shinigami robes, picking them up and laying them on a small shelf in the bathroom. With her frame being so petite, there was no need for her to wear a bra so she stood in nothing but her rabbit designed bikini-style panties. Her hands moved to start running the water for her bath just as she could hear the sound of soft footsteps move past her room and then further down the hallway.

_Nii-sama…?_

* * *

It was when his thoughts were plaguing him the most that he always felt it best to escape from the large manor for it only made him feel trapped in his inner thoughts. His keen senses picked up the sound of water as he passed the room of the young woman with whom he lived. Imagining she was now taking her evening bath, he shifted his thoughts back to what they had been incessantly mulling over all afternoon.

His form gracefully exited out onto the porch before he took a few steps down to make his way into the vast garden that occupied most of the surroundings of the manor. It was not common for him to be wandering the garden at night. But tonight he had to make an exception.

The fact that he couldn't shake this notion of not understanding the reasoning behind the raven-haired woman's behavior made him feel thrown off from everything he ever thought of her. It was becoming apparent that perhaps he really didn't know her as well as an older brother should have, or perhaps even just a friend or acquaintance should have.

The moon shone just barely through the partly cloudy sky, but it was still enough to allow him to see the swaying of the sakura trees in time with the passing of the wind. This atmosphere was soothing to his soul.

_Perhaps I am not fulfilling my promise entirely yet._

The promise from his late wife-it had been something he held dearly to his heart. But then again, that promise had also caused him to change as well, to grow as a person. He had allowed himself to break the rules-break tradition, for the young woman residing inside the manor at that very moment. To not actually _know_ that woman in every way a person should then that was almost tarnishing that promise.

To say he knew how he would go about this would've been a lie. A challenge was something Byakuya Kuchiki never faltered from and always conquered over.

* * *

The following morning, Rukia had awakened a bit earlier than usual. Perhaps it had been her odd behavior the night before that had made her sleep an uneasy one. She had proceeded going through her morning routine of getting dressed, eating, and then heading out to the main offices of the Gotei 13.

It was as she reached the office for Squad 13, she saw a familiar face walking towards her in that very moment.

"N-Nii-sama. Good morning." Caught somewhat off-guard, she bowed before him while saying her general greeting. For a moment, he said nothing. His grey eyes were staring down at her as she then stood upright again.

"Rukia, I'm only here to request an appropriate time to see you."

It was an odd request. Nothing like this had ever occurred before. In his eyes it was proper to ask in this way, but anyone else probably would've just asked her in simpler terms such as-_can I meet up with you later_? But this wasn't just anyone.

"Oh well yes, of course. I should finish my duties by late afternoon." With a slight nod she had replied in the best manner she could. She knew she couldn't say no, not to her Nii-sama.

"I see. Come by my office whenever you are finished."

And with a swift reply, his robes were bellowing in his exit as Rukia was left with nothing but a surprised look on her face as her thoughts ran off to that of confusion.

* * *

_* Author: That was a bit shorter than I usually write. I am still lacking on a proper plot line due to the fact that I am more concentrated on finishing my RikuxSora fic as of late. I will try to sit down and write out a plot soon enough, but for now, this was a mini-start at least._


	3. Chapter 2

**_Moonlit Blossom_**

_- Chapter 2 -_

_* The unknown greeted emotions and began a spawn of intricate thoughts._

* * *

It weighed on her mind heavily all day. That same question, playing over and over in her mind and never receiving an answer.

_Why did he want to see her?_

She had finished her daily routine easily enough, and even though she had purposefully taken more time than usual to finish each task, she had still somehow managed to finish earlier than usual.

The time had just hit four in the afternoon. The last hour of main office hours had just started, and the young woman already assumed that the man in question was probably done for the day. He generally finished his work early, not that she knew that for _sure_. But he would usually arrive at the manor by five in the evening.

As she was walking quite slowly to her destination, it seemed as if that very room appeared far too soon. Her nervousness was getting the better of her, not certain as to why this get together was necessary.

It wasn't as if she _never_ thought of what it would be like to properly spend time with the man, but she just always assumed it was never going to occur. His nature seemed to give off the impression of preferring solitude versus companionship, even more so after her older sister's death.

That had always been a heavy burden that she had to bear in the deepest parts of herself. Living up to the expectation of being a Kuchiki. Trying to live up to your sister and attempt to surpass her was even harder.

One of her greatest fears had always been being a disappointment to the man who was supposed to be her brother. Even now, it was still so difficult to see him in that light. Nii-sama always slid from her lips so easily in every other sentence that she spoke around him, but inwardly she saw him as any other man.

Always kept under careful watch by him yet always held at arm's length from him- it was quite an unnerving situation to undergo on a daily basis.

She felt frozen outside of the door where the man that was scouring her thoughts currently was. Shaking her head, she forced herself to lift her hand and knock onto the door in the delicate-fashion that she generally would when approaching a room with him in it.

"Ah Rukia!" Renji had slid opened the door and was smiling down at her.

"Renji, you're still here?"

"Yeah I was just finishing up some last minute details. I'm heading out now though."

"Oh all right."

"Ja ne."

The door was slid closed and Rukia stood in the entranceway. Her dark eyes moved across the room until she caught sight of the lone man sitting at his desk.

"Nii-sama-"

"I will only be a moment."

"Hai." Her curt response made her feel a huge streak of nervousness.

The silence in the room was evident. The only sound was the soft scribbling that the division captain was making on some paperwork. Only a few minutes passed until he finally stacked some papers together and set them aside.

His form stood up and his white robes bellowed after him as he slowly turned around to look at the woman near the door.

"Let us go."

Rukia simply nodded, nothing but sheer nervousness running through her now. The door was slid open just before they began to walk outside. The sun was visibly setting and other workers were leaving their own offices.

The man who had arranged for such a meeting was still unsure of just what they were going to be doing. It was difficult to decide on an appropriate location for them to go to. He didn't want to come off as too forward, or to scare her away with something that was not of normalcy for siblings.

But that was where his mind began to argue against him. They weren't siblings. Their interactions were almost like that of strangers. She was simply a woman to him, one that he had grown a duty of protection to. He owed to his late wife to allow this woman the chance to live out as much as her life as possible.

Heavy thoughts such as these were quickly dispersed from his mind. In that moment, he needed to focus on what to do. Such thoughts could be dwelled upon in his own time.

Deciding to head to a general area, Byakuya began to lead the raven-haired woman to a path that led up to the training grounds. Several pairs were of shinigamis were training to their heart's content as the sky began to illuminate a deep orange.

"Who do you normally train with Rukia?"

The question that was poised to her out of thin air startled her slightly. She looked up at the man in front of her who still had his back to her as they walked up a slight hill.

"It's usually with Captain Ukitake or Renji."

Hearing the reply of 'Renji' made him feel a sudden streak of uneasiness. That was not common for him. It was a new feeling, one that he wasn't even able to label just yet.

"Renji? I have no argument with Captain Ukitake, but you should choose more sensible people to train with Rukia."

"Hai, Nii-sama." She didn't necessarily like where this conversation was going. Most of the time, she usually had a good amount of freedom in her choices. It was always a different story with Byakuya though.

"Or I can train you myself."

The idea instantly made Rukia blush for some reason. Perhaps it was just that she never thought he would make her such a priority. She never thought of herself to be that important.

"No that isn't necessary."

"I insist."

* * *

The insistence for training was definitely a mistake. Rukia was left breathless as she had barely managed to dodge the series of Byogan's shot from the man nearby. She had to quickly shunpo away just another had been shot her way in that instant.

"Rukia, you're hardly managing to dodge these."

Byakuya began to swirl another series of sakura blossom and Rukia already knew what was coming her way. Biting at her lower lip, she held her sword up to prepare a dodge against the impending attack.

Holding that position felt like she had become a statue. But whenever she felt no rushing of wind and then pain, she glanced around to try and find her attacker.

Appearing behind of her, Byakuya leant his head in alongside of her face. His voice was monotonic, yet, still held a level of emotion that he only revealed to that woman in rare instances.

"Your dodging is acceptable but your speed in counter-attacking is not."

The sudden feeling of a voice so close to her made her heart kick into overdrive just as her fair-skinned cheeks became flushed with a dark red.

"I-I figured as much." Rukia swallowed slightly. She was surprised she had even been able to get out that one sentence.

The man clothed in white was still a few feet away from her, but his head was still tilted down enough to have that sense of personal space being intervened upon.

"We will train here every other day until I find your skills are exceptional."

"Yes Nii-sama."

Byakuya glanced down, a strange scent having caught in the air that blew past him. The smallest sight of red caught his eye and he knelt down. His hand slowly lifted the lower part of the woman's robe along her right leg.

"Ah-!"

"You've been wounded."

"I didn't even realize it."

The man looked around to see a few spears sitting on some shelves nearby. It was for spear users sure, but in this instance it had been more of a hazard.

"I must have scraped myself during a shunpo." Rukia reasoned with herself as she attempted to remain calm from how that hand was still lingering near her leg.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so."

Taking a step forward, the man's hand fell away just as her robe fell back into place. She felt a slight pant as she planted her foot back on the ground. And as she was about to take another step, she was halted.

Staring up at grey-eyes, she felt hands then move around her body in mid-step. Byakuya easily lifted her lithe frame into his arms, cradling her gently as he always had several times in the past.

"Nii-sama what're you.."

"It is clear that you are unable to walk properly. I would rather you not damage your leg any further."

Feeling far too embarrassed, she couldn't even breathe out her usually 'hai'. Nodding instead, she then tried not to lean too much against him. The alluring smell of cherry blossoms made it difficult for her not to let her head rest against his perfectly-toned body that laid beneath those white robes.

Her blush only deepened at the realization that she thought of the man who was supposed to be a brotherly figure as someone who had such a defined body structure. Beginning to fight those thoughts inside of herself, she looked down at her leg which was still bleeding.

Byakuya held the woman in her arms and it made thoughts rush back in a few moments of reminiscing. He could recall how he had pulled her from harm's away during the encounter with Aizen and Gin. And secondly, how he had killed the arrancar who dared raise his blade against the woman who had come to symbolize his pride.

And there it was. That sudden string of hidden emotion rushed through him as the recognition that she had come to be his pride.

Never in the entirety of his life as a shinigami did he ever feel so grateful to see the outlining of the Kuchiki manor. Too many thoughts were distracting him again, and all because of the woman who was now resting her head against his chest.


	4. Chapter 3

_* Author's Note: Hey, I just wanted to let you all know that my updates might be a bit scattered for a while. I've taken up a second job, so my free time has become non-existent. Just try to be patient with me, I've got a huge load of fanfics I'm trying to juggle at once._

* * *

_**Moonlit Blossom**_

_- Chapter 3 -_

_* Touches led to thoughts for the blossom, a never-ending trail of the changes to come._

* * *

She hadn't even realized how she had been resting against him.

That wasn't something she would've normally done. It just wasn't in their dynamic; the way their relationship was supposed to fluctuate was as brother and sister.

She shouldn't have felt so comfortable in his arms, so safe with his hands along her arms, so at ease with his warmth enveloping her.

They had returned home just as the sun set. The silent captain had carried her inside, taking her into the recesses of her room and setting her on the bed before he mentioned something about getting a doctor to come and fix her leg. He said this with the ever-present Kuchiki mask on.

No concern in his voice or in those cloudy eyes. It was always so hard for her to tell from a visual standpoint if he really cared about her well-being. But, it had always been evident through his actions.

That was one of the main differences between them; she was more reliant on reaching people through emotions while he did so through actions.

Such a strange balance, and yet she felt calm in that moment. Was it because she had actually come to like how they had spent time together? Her thoughts reverted back to how she felt while being carried by him and she had to instantly shake a blush away from her cheeks.

Fiddling with her navy shinigami robes, she then heard a light knock on the door which relieved her of the stressful thoughts that were about to inhabit her mind.

The family doctor entered, taking no time to examine her leg and patch it up properly. It would heal in a few days' time, and it was only a minor cut so there wouldn't be much problem for her walking on it come tomorrow morning.

Just as the doctor left the room, she could hear a faint conversation outside the door.

Had _**he**_ been waiting outside the entire time?

The thought made her feel slightly embarrassed. It had only been a cut, it wasn't as if she was dying. Then again, she probably would've worried the same way had he been hurt at all.

It felt like too many feelings were straying in out of nowhere in particular. Relief came over her again just as she heard the conversation stop. But it was after that that another knock was heard on her door.

"C-Come in." She hadn't meant to stutter, but when she saw the Byakuya appear in her doorway, she felt like she might end up stuttering again.

"It seems you will be fine."

"H-Hai."

"It is almost time for dinner. Can you walk?"

"Oh ha-hai Nii-sama!" She hadn't meant to be tripping over her words so much, but it was difficult not to under his gaze. The fact that he was still concerned about her walking made her wonder if he would still insist on carrying her again.

She secretly felt compelled to say no, she wasn't able to walk, but to be back in his arms.

But that was when she mentally started slapping herself from having such a strange thought being processed again. Maybe she was just woozy, she normally never would have thought of such an odd thing.

"Very well." Turning away, he silently headed down the hallway to where dinner was soon to be served.

The peculiar way she always seemed to lose composure in his presence, it was always interesting to him. They had been around one another long enough to have surely gotten past the odd structure of their ties to one another. But even then, they hardly knew one another.

That was a work in progress though.

At least today, he was able to see just how capable of a fighter she is. That was always something that was direly needed to bear the Kuchiki name. It made him feel the reliance of her being his pride increase even more.

Having to carry her back through was unprecedented. He hadn't a clue as to why he had thought to carry her when she was merely cut. But, there was a feeling within that had compelled him to do so. He never ignored those feelings.

Dinner went by smoothly enough. For once they were actually holding a small amount of conversation. It had mostly been centered on their practice just a few hours before. Some techniques were mentioned along with what would more than likely be done in their next practice.

It was the simplest of conversations, but it was still something they had needed.

Finally communicating and having a semi-normal dinner for once, Rukia found herself not stuttering as she spoke.

"If I execute that move as you showed me, I should be able to dodge quicker is that correct Nii-sama?"

"Yes. The main factor is concentration."

Rukia chewed on her last bit of vegetables just as she mulled over what he had told her. She could feel his gaze on her, but it didn't make her as nervous as it usually would have.

It was difficult not to just watch her. The subtle mannerisms he had while talking and eating. The way her eyes would look to him whenever she asked a question, and her eyes would almost light up at hearing how he would reply to her.

It made him want to talk to her more.

That was strange for him, since he hadn't actually wanted to have any sort of attachment to another person whether it be just an acquaintance or otherwise, ever since his wife passed away.

But now, with the sister of his late wife, he couldn't help but feel as if getting to know her was really going to fulfill that promise. It made him feel like he was on the correct path, but at the same time, he was starting to feel like that path was going to become difficult. He wasn't sure as to why though.

"I will be heading to my room now for the remainder of the evening Nii-sama." Rukia stood up as she had finished her dinner. Bowing to him, she then turned and started to head away from the table.

Just as she went to walk off the rug that was laid beneath the table, her foot slipped as it met the wooden floor. Starting to tumble forward, she went to move her other leg but the pain was too much and she found herself unable to avoid falling to the floor.

A soft rattle from the table was heard just as a clothed figure appeared out of nothingness. Byakuya caught her, steadying her back to an upright position as his hands remained still at her back and near the top of her chest.

Rukia inhaled quickly, suddenly recovering from the expected fall that never occurred. She felt a hand on her chest and realized it wasn't hers which made her blush from both the embarrassment of having to be caught and from how the man was holding onto her in a rather intimate area.

Quickly moving from his grasp, she walked forward, turned quickly to bow while mumbling a few incoherent things and then escaped to her room down the hall.

It was only when he heard the door practically slam shut that he glanced at his hand and realized what he had been touching. The surface that the palm of his hand had touched had been rather flat so he hadn't realized it.

Deciding not to dwell on it too much, he headed to his own room, his eyes glancing at the door where that woman was behind in that very instant.

He couldn't stop himself from not dwelling on her though.


End file.
